Interested in public policy, the DC budget, research and information to inform and improve the caliber of public policy discussions or advocacy? This is the place for you: information and intelligence that improves advocacy is the stock in trade of this blog.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

DC fails babies, scores "C" on preterm birth score card

The District of Columbia has received a grade of "C" from the March of Dimes for the 2014 preterm birth rate of 9.6%.

The 2015 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card finds "persistent racial, ethnic and geographic disparities within states." DC failed on this measure, with a disparity index score of 45, leading the city to the bottom of the rankings; DC is number 50.

The disparity index measures the racial differences in preterm births.

Preterm births are important; babies born early die more often than full-term babies. And, according to the March of Dimes, premature birth is the "number one killer of babies." When preterm babies live, they "often face serious and lifelong health problems, including breathing problems, jaundice, vision loss, cerebral palsy and intellectual delays." (score card release)

To put DC's grade in perspective, the US received a "C." Maine was first on the list regarding disparities and in the evaluation of city data, Portland, OR received an "A" while Shreveport, LA failed miserably.